White Chicks
White Chicks is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, from a story from the youngest Wayans brothers. In the film, Kevin Copeland (Shawn Wayans) and Marcus Copeland (Marlon Wayans), a pair of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, don whiteface to go undercover as white women in order to solve a pair of kidnappings. White Chicks was theatrically released in the United States on June 23, 2004. The film received negative reviews from critics, who panned its lowbrow humor, however, viewer reception was more positive. It was also nominated for five Razzies. The film grossed over $113 million worldwide, and became one of the highest grossing comedy films of 2004. Plot FBI agent brothers Kevin and Marcus Copeland try to bust a drug dealer selling their product disguised as ice cream, but they botch it when a genuine ice cream salesman shows up first. The two agents are offered a reprieve if they chauffeur Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, a pair of shallow rich socialites, safely to a weekend long fashion event in The Hamptons, in order to avoid them becoming the next victims in a string of high profile kidnappings. However, the Wilson sisters get minor facial cuts in a car accident and refuse to be seen in public in their conditions. Fearing for their jobs, Kevin scares them into staying in a hotel, while he and Marcus disguise themselves as the sisters and attend the event. Kevin and Marcus, now disguised as Brittany and Tiffany, associate themselves with the Sisters' three best friends, Karen Googlestein, Tori Willson, and Lisa Anderson, and encounter their rivals, the Vandergeld sisters, Megan and Heather. Unbeknownst to Kevin and Marcus, the sisters are being monitored by their colleagues Vincent Gomez and Jacob Harper, and their boss Chief Elliott Gordon, who are undercover posing as hotel staff. At a charity auction dinner later that night, pro basketball player Latrell Spencer takes an interest in Marcus and wins a date with him, while Kevin begins to solicit information regarding prime suspect Ted Burton from Denise Porter, a reporter at the event. After Kevin becomes romantically involved with Denise, and after Marcus consistently rebuffs Latrell to no avail, their combined antics put them under the suspicion of Gomez and Harper. At a nightclub, a drunken Karen slips to Marcus and Kevin that Warren Vandergeld is really penniless, and has been taking loans from her father, which makes the duo arrive at the conclusion Warren is the mastermind behind the kidnappings. However, before being able to investigate this, the real Brittany and Tiffany find out they are being impersonated and travel to the event to expose their "clones," while Gina, Marcus' wife, also arrives after assuming Marcus is cheating on her. Gomez and Harper, who also conclude the sisters are being impersonated by two men, aim to expose them, only to inappropriately strip down the real Brittany and Tiffany. They are subsequently suspended, while Gordon fires Kevin and Marcus after he discovers the truth. Later, Kevin and Marcus discover Warren had funneled large sums of money through his modest charity, and attempt to notify Gordon, who dismisses their claims. Soon after, they, alongside Gomez and Harper, opt to pursue the case themselves. At the event's final fashion show, Kevin and Marcus are chosen to headline it, but the real Brittany and Tiffany also perform in the event. This causes mass confusion between the four, which Warren uses to begin the kidnapping. However, he incorrectly captures Brittany and Kevin, who then begins a brawl. In the ensuing fight, Kevin is shot trying to protect Denise, and Latrell is shot trying to protect Marcus. The duo successfully capture Warren, whilst Gomez and Harper apprehend Heath and Russ, a pair of friends hired by Warren to involve themselves with the girls and aid in the kidnappings. After their true identities are revealed to all, much to the dismay of Latrell that Marcus isn't actually "white" (though he doesn't seem to mind that Marcus is male), Marcus makes up with Gina, while Denise and Kevin begin a relationship. Tori, Lisa, and Karen admit they liked Tiffany and Brittany more when they were Marcus and Kevin. The five agree to remain friends and go shopping. Cast * Shawn Wayans as Kevin Copeland / Brittany Wilson * Marlon Wayans as Marcus Anthony Copeland II / Tiffany Wilson * Jaime King as Heather Vandergeld * Busy Philipps as Karen Googlestein * Jennifer Carpenter as Lisa Anderson * Jessica Cauffiel as Tori Willson * John Heard as Warren Vandergeld * Brittany Daniel as Megan Vandergeld * Terry Crews as Latrell Spencer * Frankie Faison as Section Chief Elliott Gordon * Lochlyn Munro as Special FBI Agent Jacob Harper * Eddie Velez as Special FBI Agent Vincent Gomez * Rochelle Aytes as Denise Porter * Maitland Ward as Brittany Wilson * Anne Dudek as Tiffany Wilson * Faune A. Chambers as Gina Copeland * John Reardon as Heath * Steven Grayhm as Russ * Casey Lee as Tony * Drew Sidora as Shaunice * David Lewis as Josh * Heather McDonald as Saleswoman * Brad Loree as Dealer Henchman * Evangeline Lilly as Party Guest (uncredited) Production Filming occurred partly in Chilliwack, British Columbia, including the exterior scenes at the Hamptons. White Chicks was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, who also co wrote and produced the film with his brothers, Shawn and Marlon. Soundtrack # "Latin Thugs" – Cypress Hill # "Hey Ms. Wilson" – The Penfifteen Club # "Shake It (Like a White Girl)" – Jesse Jaymes (Copeland) # "A Thousand Miles" – Vanessa Carlton # "Realest Stupids" – 50 Cent, Notorious B.I.G. # "White Girls" – Mighty Casey # "Dance City" – Oscar Hernandez # "Trouble" – P!nk # "U Can't Touch This" – MC Hammer # "Dance, Dance, Dance" – The Beach Boys # "Guantanamera" – Jose Fernandez Diaz # "It's My Life" – No Doubt # "(I Got That) Boom Boom" – Britney Spears featuring Ying Yang Twins # "Bounce" (The Bandit Club Remix) – Stock, IC Green # "Get Low" – Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins # "Crazy in Love" – Beyoncé, Jay-Z # "It's Tricky" – Run–D.M.C. # "This Love" – Maroon 5 # "No Control" – Blackfire # "I Wanna Know" – Joe # "Tipsy" – J-Kwon # "Satisfaction" – Benny Benassi # "Let's Get It Started" – Black Eyed Peas # "Move Your Feet" – Junior Senior # "I Need Your Love Tonight" – Elvis Presley # "Girls Just Want to Have Fun' – Cyndi Lauper Release White Chicks was theatrically released in the United States on June 23, 2004. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released the DVD in the United States on October 26, 2004. Reception Box office The film grossed $19.7 million in its opening weekend, taking the #2 spot. It finished with $70.8 million at the box office in the United States, and $42 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $113.1 million, against a budget of $37 million. The film was released in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2004, and opened at #2, behind Shark Tale. Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 15% based on 122 reviews and an average rating of 3.7/10, with the site's consensus stating that the film is a "scattershot comedy that's silly and obvious." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 41 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. David Rooney of Variety wrote: "As lowbrow comedies go, it pretty much delivers." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 1 and 1⁄2 stars out of four and said "Here is a film so dreary and conventional that it took an act of the will to keep me in the theater." Film critic Richard Roeper put the film at #1 on his list of the worst films of 2004, amongst claims of unconvincing prosthetics and racism. Accolades White Chicks was nominated for five Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress for the Wayans brothers in drag, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay and Worst Screen Couple. It lost in all categories. Sequel In August 2009, a sequel to the film was announced by Sony, though they later cancelled the project. In April 2014, Marlon Wayans expressed interest in a sequel. A sequel was confirmed to be in the works in March 2018. On June 30, 2019, Terry Crews confirmed a sequel on the program Watch What Happens Live. Marlon Wayans confirmed that this information was not meant to leak, and that the deal had not yet been confirmed . See also * Cross-dressing in film and television * Some Like It Hot, a comedy film of 1959 starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. It tells a similar story, in which two male musicians dress as women to hide from gangsters in Florida. * Nuns on the Run, a comedy film of 1990 starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane as criminals posing as nuns to hide from a rival gang.